


Visions of Scarlet

by SailorSenshi7



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Drama & Romance, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-05-17 17:03:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14835656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorSenshi7/pseuds/SailorSenshi7
Summary: Wanda Maximoff has been recaptured, slowly nearing death and with no escape in sight. Her only ally is Natasha, captured with her. Enter Vision and The Avengers to the rescue. What happens next to our Avengers?





	1. Prologue

"Sedate her again," Dr. Richard Wallace ordered through the double paned, bullet proof glass. The nurse on the inside of the glass looked down at the young woman speculatively before pulling out another syringe and filling it with another dose of the sedative from the tray on the table nearby.

She neared the woman who was braced haphazardly against the wall, feet crumpled beneath her and arms bound by a straightjacket that was necessary to keep her powers from manifesting and killing them all, although, the longer the woman looked at the malnourished form in front of her, the harder it was to keep seeing a monster. Instead, all the woman could see was a child in danger of dying if such treatments continued.

"Are you sure? She seems quite weak already," The woman spoke up, even though she turned to the young Avenger, already knowing what the answer would be. How many times had she posed such a question, hoping to spare the young woman from another dose that might eventually be responsible for her death?

"Don't be such a fool. We want her weak, otherwise she might be able to call for help. Who knows what the witch is capable of." Dr. Wallace sneered, completely focused on causing more pain on the young Avenger. Perhaps it was easy for him to give out these orders, however, it was not easy for her to administer the doses into her small body, knowing full well that she could overdose if this continued. Yet she went ahead with the orders away, more concern for herself than the being in front of her.

The admission left a weight like a stone in the pit of her stomach as she neared the prone form on the ground.

The woman walked forward, moving the uneaten bowl of food that was on the ground until it was safely out of the girls way in case she had yet another seizure. One of the many consequences of being constantly drugged above a safe amount.

Sticking the needle in the vein on the girls neck, the woman slowly pushed in on the plunger, hating herself more and more as she watched the fine liquid disappear into the young woman's body.

Had they no shame?

Had she no honor? What happened to the vows she took as a practitioner to harm none? Yet there she was, slowly killing someone that others feared because they didn't know her.

As the girl began to rock back and forth before falling completely to the floor at an awkward angle and drifting off, a noise was heard along the wall. It was muffled, but the nurse could definitely hear Subject 2165 slamming against the wall, as if that would help her friend lying prone on the ground. Which it wouldn't. Nothing would help her.

"Leave the food. Maybe when she wakes up she can eat the scraps like the dog she is," Dr. Wallace called from his safe place, pressing a button that allowed the only door to the cell to open quickly, allowing the nurse to escape. She ignored his comments, knowing full well the next time Subject 815 awoke, she would be in the cell with her, calmly trying to feed the child with a plastic spoon, to spare her what little dignity she had left.

Another bang was heard on the glass in the other cell, causing her to jerk harshly and to immediately look up into the terrifying face of a killer.

Some called her the Black Widow, others simply knew she was a merchant of death. Either way, once you were in her sights, it was never a positive outcome.

"I'm going to kill you all! Do you hear me?" Her shout was muffled by the glass, but the meaning was not lost on any of the technicians or scientists in the room. "What are you doing to her? I'm going to slaughter you all!"

Subject 2165 beat the glass again, leaving behind trails of blood that smeared across the glass almost in a pattern. The blood seemed only to enrage her further, giving her more cause the beat at the glass, which did her no good. She might have been a trained assassin, but she had no unearthly gifts that would allow her to escape from this prison. Nothing could help her. She might have also been an Avenger, but looking at the woman now, it was clear she was only a vicious killer. A demon, maybe.

With that last terrifying thought, the nurse left the holding cells and returned to her station before clocking out and heading home to her soft, warm bed in her safe home, all the while trying to ignore the stab of guilt that was lodged in her stomach.


	2. Wanda's Dream

Wanda felt as if she were floating high in the clouds, the stars glittering around her like diamonds as she took a slow flight, gliding around the night sky without a care in the world. It was as if she could see the whole world spinning around her, almost in a dizzying motion.

She looked down at herself, entranced by the scarlet gown she was wearing, which seems to glide with her as she moved. The gems that graced it were a yellow color, almost like that the infinity stone Vision carried with him everywhere. Although, upon closer inspection they didn't seem to hold a candle against his own stone, which was so immeasurably more enchanting.

She wondered where he was; Vision. It had seemed like so long since they were near each other. In fact, it had been. Months had gone by, if she was still tracking the passage of time correctly. It was hard to know for certain, as she spent a lot of her time trapped inside her own mind, but it had been at least that long.

He had been holding her in his arms as she lay on the ground after the Avengers had battled among themselves. She had reached up, weakened by the stone on his head that had knocked her out of the sky, and gently cupped his cheek while he looked down at her, almost as if to tell him it was alright.

And perhaps it would have been, had he not allowed her to be taken into the custody of the U.N. and tossed into a cage like a rat and treated like an animal. Of course, that hell hadn't lasted very long until she was freed.

Wanda had hoped, which was stupid, that Vizh would have shown up and rescued her. That he would have realized that he didn't want the same things as Tony Stark, that he wanted her to be free. She had believed he was there to save her, but it hadn't been him. It had been Steve who had set them all free, before they had all broken apart and scattered to various parts of the world in order to draw less attention to themselves.

Wanda had gone with Natasha, who was a master at blending in and had been teaching Wanda everything she knew.

There was a kinship there, a closeness. As the days passed and Wanda's memories of Vision began to fade from kindness and longing into bitter resentment, her friendship with Nat had taken flight. A small mercy, given all that she had lost in her past. Same as Natasha. They were birds of a feather, in a sense. Taken from all that they knew, raised to be deadly. Finding comfort and hope in a man who eventually betrayed that trust.

Luckily for Natasha, Bruce Banner had only hidden himself from her, hiding like a coward. Vision had helped deliver her to her prison. He had known she would be locked away, but he blindly followed his creator, like he was a dog and Tony Stark was his master. Hadn't he known that it was she who had been his friend? His confidant? His everything?

Tony Stark might have been like a father figure, but he was never around. Almost no one was for Vision during his first few months of life; only Wanda. Wanda who stayed up well into the night so he would have someone to talk to while others slept, Wanda who would play chess with him whenever he desired. Wanda, who would go flying with him once she mastered that ability as she had known from looking into his mind, he wasn't overly fond of being alone.

He craved contact, human connection.

With the world spinning steadily faster, Wanda descended from the clouds and landed on a replicated version of her balcony. She almost smiled to herself, thinking about how the last time she had been on that very balcony, Vision had taken her hand and held it. His skin had been warm, the lines along his skin had been interesting to feel, but right nonetheless. She had smiled up at him but remained silent.

It seemed at the time that action had said so much more than words could have conveyed.

"Wanda..." She heard his voice then, almost disembodied as it came from behind her.

Wanda knew she was most likely dreaming him there. She was in a constant state of weakness, and as she was always drugged, she generally didn't have the strength of mind to reach out and make contact with anyone other than Natasha, and even that had been a struggle the past few weeks.

Turning, Wanda came face to face with someone she loathed... And yet didn't. He was dressed in another sweater vest, this one a deep shade of red, with a long sleeved white undershirt beneath it. He wore black slacks and a seemingly sorrowful expression on his face as they looked upon one another.

"I must be closer than I thought if I am seeing you here," she whispered out, accent light and wilting. He was standing in her bedroom, but the more she focused on him, the more everything in the background spun, almost as if it were spiraling all out of control around her. Was this it? Was she truly perishing into oblivion right before the image she had conjured of the one man who had ever harmed her?

"I'm afraid I do not understand. Closer to what?" Vision asked, taking a hesitant step closer. She wanted to believe the image in front of her was real, that her Vision was finally with her, but it wasn't true. She didn't have the mental strength to project to Natasha in the room next to her, there was no way she could find Vision and speak with him, let alone conjure an entire world.

"Death," Wanda answered faintly, oblivious to the widening of his eyes as she collapsed to the ground of the balcony, her hands clutching her head as she cried out in pain. She kept her eyes shut tight, rocking back and forth. She wanted more than anything to catch one more glimpse of him before her body finally perished, but the pain of lifting her eye lids was excruciating, so she merely moaned in agony on the floor.

She could feel the drip of blood as it trickled out of her nose and out of her mouth, no doubt signifying the end.

Perhaps the dosage had been too much this time. She was going to die and leave Natasha all alone, so very alone.

Gentle, warm hands clasper her own, a soothing touch that immediately put her mind at ease and stopped the violent outburst from continuing. Would she perish with him embracing her like he did the last time they were together? Would he hold her until the end?

"What is happening? Wanda, please respond. Where are you?"

"As if you don't know?" Wanda glared up at him, letting him see the hatred that had been building inside of her for months. She didn't want to die with questions from an imposter she had conjured into her own mind. She wanted to die in his arms, even if it wasn't really happening. Didn't she deserve at least that much?

"I am afraid I do not know." His face came closer to her but she moved away, awkwardly sliding to the ground and resting her back against the balcony.

"Perhaps this will help you," she bit out before taking away the illusion of her appearance. Instead of the Wanda he was used to, before him was a malnourished woman. She was bound by a jacket, her hair was in such tangles and her appearance was gaunt. Her eyes were sunken in and he could faintly make out the bones in her chest before the jacket covered up the rest of her.

"Wanda?" He asked, stunned by the change in her appearance.

"I am dying. Captured by the same goons you sent me to before. They do things to me. To weaken me. It has been months and I am finally giving in."

"I will come to you."

Wanda smiled at his words, the conviction behind them. "Perhaps had I been wise enough to seek you out when we had first arrived, we would all be safe." Her breaths came in shorter bursts. "But I was angry with you. Now I am dying and I will not even see you one last time."

"You will not die. I am coming for you."

"Would if you could, but you are... not real." And with that, Wanda shut her eyes and let her dream fade away, a new kind of hurt forming with the knowledge that her Vision would not be coming for her.

She was going to die, trapped in a cell and being tested on. It was just a matter of time.


	3. Plans, Plans, Plans

"Subject 2165 is exhibiting high levels of aggression. We need to increase the amount of sedatives being placed in her food. Once she is out, we will infiltrate the cell and restrict her movements. The last thing we need is her to kill herself before we are done with her. Subject 2165 is only now starting to break, and once that break in her mind finally forms, we will be able to control her movements completely. We can turn her into a force for the United States government." Dr. Wallace spoke in his meeting, his eyes alight with excitement.

"Sir," one of the less established scientists spoke up. "Wasn't she already a force for the government? I mean, she was an agent for SHIELD and she was an active member of the Avengers Initiative until 7 months ago. What exactly are you hoping to achieve that wasn't already given willingly?" There were a few murmurs from around the table as others chimed in, clearly in agreement with the young man on the verge of making a name for himself.

"It is one thing having the Black Widow choose to side with us, it is another thing entirely to drive the need of choice out of her and to shape her into an even more magnificent weapon that will act on instinct and follow every command."

"You mean turn her into another super soldier? Like the Winter Soldier? Those practices are outdated and barbaric, not to mention highly unethical." One of the doctors at the table spoke up, no doubt emboldened by the other speaker who dared to question the authority of one Dr. Richard Wallace.

"I mean to break down the wall Black Widow built over the instincts that had already been honed in her mind from a very young age. It is Subject 815 I mean to turn into a super soldier. She already has amassed such power. Her body and mind grow weaker by the day, making controlling her just one more step closer until there is total submission. Black Widow is of course a heavy player that we will no doubt add to our forces, but it is the Scarlet Witch that, with our control and backing, will be unstoppable."

There was a murmur among the crowd, although no one spoke up to contradict or question his plans. A human being such as the Subject 2165, but Subject 815 was nothing but a weapon.

Dr. Wallace left the room, one of his assistants hurrying along after him, her heels clacking on the tile, barely keeping up with his brisk pace. "Make a note to triple the sedative being placed in Subject 2165's food. We need to start her procedures almost immediately."

The assistant bobbed her head like a good kid at school, afraid to speak up unless it was directed of her.

Dr. Wallace had found fear to be a heavy motivator into controlling another, however, with the Avengers he had in his possession, fear probably wouldn't be enough.

Either way, he was going to have a fun time trying.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Natasha Romanov sat in her cell, flexing her bruised and torn hands, keeping the feeling in them as much as possible. It would have been smart to have one of the nurses constantly moving beyond the glass to bandage her hands, possibly to also disinfect in case of a infection. However, Natasha knew that there was no way in hell the monsters beyond the glass were going to treat her unless she was unconscious.

There wasn't any way in hell she was going to let that happen to herself. It was bad enough she couldn't help Wanda, who she had just seen strapped to a gurney and rushed off to some unknown location, hopefully still within the compound. She wasn't going to fail them both by leaving herself open to attack. Wanda was vulnerable and Natasha was damn sure going to find a way out of this mess to help her friend.

If only there was a way out. To be honest, she wasn't even sure Banner would have a way to bust out of the cage she was trapped in. The only slight weakness she could detect was the vent that was in the ceiling in the center of the room, more than 8 feet above her head. She had no furniture in her room, and the walls were spread out too far apart for her to push off of them and reach her destination.

Natasha wasn't even sure where it would lead, if anywhere. But maybe it would lead to their salvation, if only she could just try hard enough to succeed.

She owed it to the little witch and to herself to at least try, even if she was weaker than she needed to be.

The doctors had begun drugging her food and water, which made sense. Natasha had to eat to survive, so it was obvious she was going to eat the tainted food. Generally, she ate only what she had too, which was a lot less than they offered. Her stomach was always cramping, urging her to finish the nourishment that was right in front of her, but she always resisted. The lack of food made her weaker, but it always kept her conscious, which was more than the doctors were hoping for, no doubt.

It was also more than Wanda had going for her. She had been completely at their mercy almost the moment they had arrived. She had been knocked unconscious by some sort of weapon that sent out pulses to her nervous system, completely short circuiting her powers and leaving her defenseless and passed out on the ground.

Natasha had been outnumbered and unwilling to leave Wanda behind, so she had conceded defeat and submitted herself to their will, thinking at the time she would be treated fairly and like a human being. She couldn't have been more wrong.

Since that day, Natasha had been fuming, plotting and planning with Wanda while she was still strong enough to merge their minds. The past few days, however, Wanda had grown weaker, leaving Natasha on her own to figure out how to bust out of their hell hole and escape.

If only... Natasha shook her head furiously, dislodging the weak thought as it came to her. She didn't need anyone's help, nor did she want it. Especially if that help could have came from Bruce Banner, aka, The Jackass.

She was going to set them both free if it was the last thing she did.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Vision faded through the walls of the inconspicuous building, sending out his conscious until he touched several minds, coming to an immediate conclusion that he was in the correct place.

Muffled voices were heard in the next room over, and wasting not a moment more, Vision phased through that wall, startling a scream out of Sam Wilson and the man who could shrink or grow large at will.

Steve Rogers stood at attention, his friend Bucky Barnes at his side. Steve dropped his hands at his sides, fists clenching and then unclenching as they stared at one another.

"Is Stark with you?" Rogers asked.

Vision looked down at the ground for a moment before raising his head and giving it a firm shake.

"What are you doing here, man?" Sam spoke up.

"Yeah, weird, fades in and out of stuff dude." The other man said, issuing a groan out of Sam's mouth.

"Come on, man. This is Vision. How do you still not know that?"

"Well, it's not like we were ever properly introduced. He tried to kill me, I tried to step on him. But I don't recall ever getting his name."

"Alright, enough." Steve called out before looking back at Vision and stepping forward. "Why are you here?"

"I have reason to believe that Natasha Romanov and Wanda are being held somewhere, if not in the same place you were all held originally. I need your assistance."

The men perked up at Vision's information.

"That explains why Romanov hasn't made contact in several weeks."

"That's generally normal for Natasha. They would be too smart to get captured." Rogers murmured to his comrades. "How do you know they've been captured?" Steve asked his one time friend.

"I have been working to stretch my consciousness further and further into the atmosphere. Upon reflection I found it possible to actually possess some capabilities not unlike Ms. Maximoff's, as our powers were manifested from the same instrument." He gently touched the stone on his head. "However, unlike Wanda, I lack the ability to see into someone's mind unless they invite me in, which is quite peculiar."

"What's your point, man." Sam chimed in, arms folded over his chest.

"My point, gentleman, is that I spoke with Ms. Maximoff just this evening. It was quite an accident on my part, but what I gained from her mind was unsettling. Wherever she is, they are harming her. I am not sure with what, but it seems to be giving her seizures, headaches and her nose and mouth began bleeding. She thought she was dying and couldn't process that I was with her. When I asked where she was, she assumed I knew, which I didn't. I don't. But then she also referred to herself and one other. As it is only you in this room, I assumed the other was either Mr. Barton or Ms. Romanov, but felt the latter was more likely to be a captive as well."

"Well that doesn't sound good," the man who identified himself as Scott Lang chimed in.

"No, it doesn't." Same agreed. "We need a plan and to recon."

"With all due respect, I suggest we make haste. I have come for your assistance, but Wanda does not possess a lot of time and I will not waste mine waiting for you to catch up."

And with that, Vision disappeared though a wall, leaving them to confer amongst themselves.

"Was he angry? He kind of seemed angry."

"I think he's desperate, Scott. And maybe a little angry." Steve looked at his friends before taking a deep breath and exhaling. "We've got to get them back. If what Vision is saying is true, there might not be a lot of time to save them. He looked worried."

"How could you tell?" Scott asked with interest.

"How could you not?"


	4. Escaping Hell

Wanda was lying on an operating table. She could feel the hard metal chilling her already cooling body. How long had it been since she had felt truly warm? Since she felt the vitality of life in her and around her?

A flash of Vision gazing down at her, his arms wrapped around her back and his hand cupping the back of her head as they stared at one another floated to her mind, causing a sharp pang of tears to gather around her eyes. She blinked them away, deciding that she needed anything else to focus on that thoughts of Vision, otherwise she would never survive.

She shut her eyes, her arms and legs flexing weakly against the restraints that held her immobile. She felt woozy, almost like she had felt when she dreamt about Vision, only not as bad.

Wanda wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, all things considered.

"Good morning, Subject 815." A cheerful voice called out to her left. Wanda tried to move her head towards the woman's voice, but it was held down by yet another restraint.

She flexed her fingers experimentally, but she was too weak to do anything other than cause a gentle breeze by her hands, let alone undo the straps holding her immobile.

The woman who was speaking stepped into her line a vision. She was older, with greying hair. She was a bit bigger, which no doubt made her seem more friendly and helpful than she had to be. Anyone in this place was a viper waiting to strike.

" Ms. Maximoff, I need you to focus on my voice, alright?" The woman whispered towards her in a soothing manner. "If I keep my voice at this level, can you hear me?"

"Ye..Yes." Wanda spoke up past her dry throat. She clutched her dry eyes shut a moment before opening them again, focusing on the woman from the corner of her eye.

"Very good. I need to speak with you, let you know what is happening. But please don't draw any unwanted attention to us. Do you understand?" The nurse looked up towards the one way mirror that was above them both, no doubt harboring one or more individuals who were there to keep an intrusive eye on the entire room.

Wanda tried to nod her head in agreement, cursing lowly when she couldn't.

"What do you want?"

"To help you, dear."

Wanda laughed bitterly before coughing. "Help? You call this help?"

"No, I call this torture. We have been keeping you heavily sedated since your arrival, which has had a terrible impact on you. You're dehydrated, malnourished and quite frankly, another dose might keep you under for good. I think someone else has been administering one or more other drugs to your system aside from just the sedative, which is why you have been reacting so strongly to the medication."

Wanda closed her eyes, only opening them when she pictured Vision rushing to her rescue. It was an odd thing to see, but not entirely unsurprising given her state. She thought about the term 'keep you under for good.' "Kill me, you mean?"

The nurse's eyes clouded over for a moment before she seemed to regain focus. "That doesn't matter anymore. I've got you hooked to an IV. It's giving you plenty of vitamins, nutrients and it's hydrating you as we speak. One more bag after this one and I'm going to undo your straps and then I'm going to give you a shot of adrenaline."

Wanda's eyes nearly widened before she remembered the spectators lurking behind the glass.

"Do you think you would be able to open the locked doors around the facility to allow yourself to escape?"

Wanda nodded her head.

"Good. Good. This is all going to happen in the next 20 minutes, okay? I need you to get ready."

"Why are you doing this?"

The woman hesitated before answering. "You and Ms. Romanov might be different than the other people I've met, but you're still human beings and you deserve to be treated better than this. I found out what they are planning for you both and it sent chills down my spine. I don't want anyone to live like a robot, forced to do someone else's bidding. It's not right. I'm only sorry it took me this long to realize it. I hope you can forgive me."

"If you can get me and Natasha free of this place, I will forgive almost anything you could have done."

The nurse nodded, taking the empty drip and replacing it with a full bag.

"How are you feeling?"

"Much better." Well, as good as she could have felt, all things considered.

"Good. We need to get you as prepared as possible."

Just then an alarm went off, the sound piercing into the room and echoing off the walls. Wanda clenched her jaw as the screeching assaulted her ears.

"On second thought, get ready ASAP." The woman undid the straps on her feet before rushing forward and letting her arms loose. She then turned grabbed a large syringe and turned around to face the young woman. "Lie back, now! I have to give you the adrenaline or there is no way you are going to make it out of here."

Putting all of her faith in this woman, Wanda fell back onto the cold metal, flinching when the needle slammed down into her chest, syringe depressing the adrenaline.

Wanda gasped in pain a moment before she could practically feel her pupils dilating. Her fingers flexed almost on their own, red mist floating out of her fingers and up her arms. She wasn't sure that she had ever felt so powerful before in her life.

Just then the door was ripped open, 5 soldiers opening fire as soon as they could wedge their guns through the opening.

Wanda lifted her arms, blocking the shots as they came straight at her. With her other hand she reached out, her fingers moving in a graceful manner that led the mist out and around the throats of the shooters, choking them until either they fell unconscious or died. At the moment Wanda didn't care about which happened.

"Come, we must go." Wanda turned to face her savior, only to look down at the corpse of the nurse, a bullet hole in her skull.

Think about it later.

Without another glance, the Scarlet Witch floated above the bodies littering the doorway, flinging her hands out whenever she encountered a worker or soldier, hurling them away from her and into walls, tables, mirrors. She left a path of blood and bodies in her wake, feeling invincible. One man even threw a grenade her way. Wanda wrapped it in her mist, letting the explosion begin to form within the barrier she had surrounded. With a shout she threw the scarlet globe at the man and the few who joined him, relishing in the resounding explosion that rocked the walls of the hellish place she had been captured in.

Natasha, it is time to go.

Wanda called out, blasting open her friends cell door and freeing them both.

"How did you get out?" Natasha asked, rushing over to a fallen soldier and grabbing his assault rifle. She checked the mag, made sure it was fully loaded and snapped the mag back in place, taking it off safety and aiming the gun right at Wanda.

She shot, the bullet flying right past Wanda and hitting a soldier in the face, his body falling back.

"Nice shot. A nurse gave me adrenaline and set me free."

"Adrenaline?" Wanda nodded. "We need to move our asses then. It isn't going to last very long."

"Lead the way," Wanda called, already feeling a bit tired. She trudged along after Natasha, trusting her to know the way out of their hell hole. Wanda had been unconscious when they were brought in and had only been out of her cell on two occasions, including today.

"We have three people around the corner. They've all got weapons," Wanda whispered, sensing out further with her mind to try and pinpoint more people.

"Roger that, kid." Natasha stepped forward gracefully, the butt of the gun wedged against her shoulder, weapon pointing up and straight at her enemies as she rounded the corner. Three shots later and they were making their way down the now emptied corridor, moving at a brisk pace.

"How much longer?" Wanda felt her legs become leaden the more they moved, her body not used to the movement after so long sedated and immobile.

"Hang in there, alright? We aren't stopping until we are out of here." Wanda nodded her head in agreement, leaning on the wall for support as they made their way up a flight of stairs.

"Two more behind the door on the left." Wanda called out when they reached the landing.

They crept past the closed door, careful to make no noise as to attract attention. Still the alarm sounded off in the background, although more faintly the closer to the top they got.

Were they going to the roof? Surely Natasha didn't think Wanda could levitate them down to the ground? She could barely stand. There was no way.

Wanda? Vision's voice echoed in her head, startling her into hitting a small plastic trash can with her foot, kicking it loudly down the hallway. Natasha stopped and turned to Wanda, her eyes wide in a 'what the fuck was that for' kind of way before doors flung open and shots were fired from all around them, sending both women to the ground in a panic.

Vision? We're on the 5th floor.

Wanda cried out as a bullet hit her shoulder. With what strength she had left, she created a shield for herself and Natasha, hoping like hell Vision was really there with them.

Natasha fired through the shield in rapid succession, only stopping when they were no longer being shot at.

"That was close-Oh God, you're bleeding." Natasha rushed over to look at the wound, frowning at the blood that seemed to keep pooling out and around them. Natasha ripped her black tank top at the bottom, winding it around Wanda's armpit to try and put pressure on the wound.

"I am alright," Wanda said, even though her body was simply depleted. She was spent, having used the last of her power on the shield to keep them from death. "I think Vision is here."

Just then more men rounded the corner. Natasha lifted up her gun, ready to fire from her spot kneeling on the ground before she took sight of who was there.

"Oh it's about time you boys showed up."

"Sorry to keep you ladies waiting," Steve called out in attempt to lighten the mood. Wanda tried to sit up, crying out before she collapsed back onto the tiled floor that was now slick with her blood. "Oh Jesus. Wanda!" Steve shouted when he saw her on the ground past a protective Natasha. "Where's Vision?"

Precisely at that moment, Vision descended from the ceiling, phasing through until he was kneeling next to Wanda, gently scooping her up into his arms. Wanda winced at the jarring movement before smiling faintly at him. "I thought I might never see you again." And with that, Wanda fell asleep truly, for the first time in months.


	5. It's Gonna Be a Bumpy Ride

Weightless.

She felt so weightless. Unbound by obligations or her feelings. Untethered to the restrictions of the world itself. She was ethereal. Unlimited. Groundless.

Wanda floated higher and higher into the nights sky, laughing softly to herself as she twirled and glided into the clouds, feeling as if she could catch stars in her hands.

When had

she last felt truly free? Surely not since her and Pietro had been experimented on all those years ago. Definitely not since she had aligned herself with Ultron, the great deceiver. After that it was far too late to be free. She had made a mess and it needed to be cleaned up. Then Pietro had died saving lives and she had felt obligated to continue that path or righteousness. To align herself as a force of good. To be an Avenger.

It had never worked out that way, obviously. She was a freak to others. They were afraid of her and what she could do. Sh was a monster as soon as she slipped up one time, hurling an explosive away from a crowd of people and accidentally into a side of a building, watching as it exploded. Several people had perished. Less had actually died from her actions than would have, but the world never looked at the positives, only the negatives.

She was a negative.

"You should be resting," Vision stood beside her, his cape coming to a stop as he did. Wanda turned from the image she had conjured in her mind of the night, the moon and the stars to look upon Vision.

"Aren't I already?" It was true. She had been in a medically induced coma for the past few days as she was so weakened from being held captive.

"Your mind should be as well." Wanda turned and looked at the man who had captivated her from the moment he was created. He stared back at her with a look she almost couldn't decipher. He seemed sad. Lonely. Not like himself. It paused the malice she meant to throw at him in the form of words, instead leaving her with only one question.

"Why are you here, Viz?"

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Wanda needs a doctor." Sam called out as he examined the bullet wound in her shoulder. "Looks like it wasn't a clean shot. The bullet is still in her body. And she isn't waking. Could be from exhaustion, it could be from shock." He looked at Nat. "You said someone gave her adrenaline?" Black Widow nodded, leaning back heavily in her seat on the aircraft Nick Fury had no doubt given the band of Avengers on the lamb. "Do you know what else they have been giving her? I don't think she should be in such a state of decline from just sedatives."

"I have no idea. They were keeping us in separate cells. It was okay at first. Wanda was still strong enough to connect with me, so we could talk. But a couple of weeks back they started doing tests on her. I'm not sure what. I think she was generally under when it was going on, but she's been… different."

"Different how?" Steve asked from his spot next to Natasha while Bucky flew their plane. Natasha took a closer look at the soldier, noting that his arm had been replaced by another type of vibranium arm. She didn't inquire further, though it made sense. Last she knew the Winter Soldier had been cryogenically frozen again. This time he had been at a secure location in Wakanda with the Black Panther. Since he was out and sporting a new arm, Natasha didn't need to wonder about how he got it or where it came from.

"I don't really know how to explain it. It's probably a side effect of being held captive." Natasha didn't say any more on the subject, knowing it wasn't her place to talk about anything that had to do with Wanda and what she had been dealing with. If she wanted others to know, she would tell them. If they could get her to wake up.

"Well, regardless of how different she is, we still need a doctor." Sam spoke up, ignoring the looks he was receiving from Vision as he moved her body lightly, bending her extremities to make sure nothing was wrong with her limbs.

"Dr. Cho wouldn't out us. We could go to her." Natasha answered, gripping the seat when the jet dipped quickly.

Sam looked up from his patients prone form and locked eyes with Natasha. "I was thinking someone a bit closer to our location." Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Let's just say you two have a history."

"You guys have heard from Banner?"

"The big guy was hard to miss. Big and green and free falling from the sky?" Scott piped up, looking a shade of green himself as the jet continued its rollercoaster movement and began to ascend higher into the sky.

"When did you find him?"

Steve cleared his throat, looking away from Natasha and out towards Bucky, who was focused on flying them all into a vomit fest.

"Oh that was like, what? A month after we were busted out of prison? Right, Steve?" Scott smiled politely before gagging at the next dive towards the ground, hand flying to his mouth to keep the contents of his stomach in. Natasha looked away before she also gagged, her thoughts consuming her.

It had been at least 6 months since the team knew about Banner and no one had said anything? She knew he hadn't wanted to be with her, which he had made very obvious when he had left her behind and disappeared into the sky with a stolen jet. But to know he had been in contact with over half of the team but hadn't spoken with her? That hurt a bit more than she wanted to admit, even to herself. She looked over and down at Wanda, who was lying peacefully on a stretcher that was being held in place by Visions's powers. The android himself was staring deeply at the woman on the cot before him, almost as if he were digging into her mind. She glanced at him harder, knowing he hadn't had that ability the last time they had spoken.

"I'm surprised Vision is here at all."

"Me too," Steve whispered back, no doubt wanting to call attention to the synthetic man they were speaking about. "Especially considering he did this behind Tony's back."

Now that was surprising.

"So he could turn her in a few months ago to serve a sentence in a straightjacket, but now he's changing his mind?"

"Guess so."

Interesting. Very interesting.

"We need to figure out if the government was actually funding everything down there. We were being held by a Dr. Richard Wallace, have you heard of him?" Steve shook his head. "He's quite the character, let me tell you. I overheard one of his minions through the glass in my cell, discussing the new project he was attempting to fund without the backing of the government. It all sounded very hush hush and very illegal."

"As soon as we get you and Wanda looked at by Banner, the sooner we can discuss this."

"I'm fine. I don't need to see a doctor." Was the quick reply, no doubt giving away her feelings on the subject.

"Natasha… You look awful. Worse than awful. You're practically skin and bones. You might say you're fine, but you have cuts and bruises all over your hands and arms and it looks like you might have two broken fingers, if the swelling is any indication. You're going to get looked at by Banner. It's inevitable and you need to prepare yourself for that."

Natasha sighed and looked away, fuming silently to herself while her face remained impassive. "On the bright side, he is probably going to feel like the biggest jerk on the planet when he sees you."

Well, then a visit to the doctor might not be so bad after all.


	6. Enter Dr. Banner

"Get ready to land, everyone." Bucky called out from the cockpit, flipping a few switches here and there as they gradually began to descend to the ground. Natasha cast a glance at her friends, wishing that either Wanda was up or that Clint was there to keep her company. Generally she didn't mind feeling alone, but the past few months had really torn right through her defenses and she could have used her besy friend's shoulder to lean on in that moment.

"Oh thank God," exclaimed Scott, who was still looking worse for wear. "I really thought I was going to puke everywhere. Like, a lot. Just an explosion of vomit everywhere." Natasha wrinkled her nose at his comment, picturing the so called explosion of vomit.

"Okay, that's a little too much. There are ladies present," Steve chastised the other man, vaguely wondering how men in this generation could be so vastly different from his own era. Back in his day, no guy who talked like that would ever be caught with a woman in his arms. They were just too fragile and squeamish.

"Oh come on, man. Wanda is passed out and I saw all those dead bodies back at the facility. You think Nat can't handle a little dirty talk?"

Natasha cracked a smile. "You and I view dirty talk very differently."

Scott's cheeks turned bright red at her words, a look of complete embarrassment coming over him. "Well... I mean, I can talk dirty too you know. Like, sex dirty, not vomit dirty."

"That's alright, big guy. Probably best to bottle the rest of that up for later." Sam laughed loudly before getting back into his seat and buckling in for the landing.

"I'm really surprised Banner is still in Wakanda given the destruction he caused here last time."

"Well it's helpful when you've got a king backing your play."

"Really?"

"Yep, looks like it. I was just as surprised as you are now," Steve replied before there was a slight jarring. The jet landed as smoothly as possible before Bucky shut it down, unbuckling and standing to face the rest of the group.

"Speaking of surprises. I assumed if Bucky had a new arm you would have a new shield, courtesy of the king."

Steve looked at her a bit sheepishly before answering. "Well, vibranium isn't unlimited. There was enough for a shield or for an arm. Figured Bucky would get better use out of it than I would."

"Plus whenever you and Tony make up you'll get yours back anyway."

"Yeah, we'll see." Was the gruff reply before the other Avenger stood up from his seat, stretching out some cramped muscles from the long flight.

Vision stood as well, scooping Wanda's prone form from the stretcher she had been on to rest in his arms. He gazed down at her gently, as if she was one of the rarest jewels in the world. Precious.

Natasha wanted to rip the young woman from his arms. To demand he back off. Hadn't he delivered her to the enemy once before? What gave him the right to have a second chance at anything? Let alone carry her around while she was unconscious and incapable of making her own decisions? Instead of doing any of that, Natasha turned her jealous gaze away from the couple and disembarked the aircraft.

She looked at their surroundings. Noted the dense fog that seemed to permeate the air, cloaking their jet. They were on some roof, no doubt Banner was beneath them, working on something complicated and way too advanced for her to understand.

Too advanced for you? Please, Natasha. You are acting irrationally. Wanda's voice floated into her head. She almost stumbled in surprise, but kept a level head and pretended she wasn't speaking with another member. Besides, some of your best charm is making that man squirm in discomfort. It is a pity I won't be able to see it. Do you think I should take a peek in his head when he first sees you? Really get the sense of his emotions?

You better not, Natasha thought to herself, knowing Wanda would receive her message, loud and clear. She heard a faint laughter. Fine. For you I will leave the green man alone. Such a pity though...

The mischievous thought drifted from Natasha's head, causing her to smile in spite of everything that was currently going on.

"First things first; We get Wanda looked at. You both get patched up. Second thing, we learn everything we can from your captivity, see if we can find anything that will help us take these guys down. And I mean it. It had the feel of a government operation, but something didn't sit right with me from the moment we got there."

"How so?" Scott asked.

"For starters, if it was run by the government, why all of the soldiers dressed in black? I didn't see one person wearing anything affiliated with the military."

"The assault rifles were military grade," Natasha pointed out, letting Sam lead them to the door on the roof before passing through with Bucky, who kept glancing at her curiously. She shrugged off the attention, knowing he was probably only staring because he finally remembered the time he had nearly killed her when she stood guard over his target more than 10 years ago. She still had the scar he left behind, along with a swarm of bodies. Natasha was glad that the real Bucky Barnes had been revealed, but his return had splintered their team in half, leaving fragile pieces behind in its wake.

"Right. Which makes sense, considering someone is funding whatever research they were doing down there. I just don't necessarily think it's the government."

"Maybe we should get ahold of Tony, see if he knows anything." Sam cautiously stated before descending down yet another flight of stairs. The walls around them were white, the stairs were white, the handrails were white. Natasha felt more uncomfortable in this facility than she did at the Red Room, and that was saying something.

You are just worried about meeting with Bruce. Relax. You know I am here with you.

Natasha inhaled deeply, trying to get her heart rate back under control. She knew she didn't project any sort of ill feelings out to her companions (aside from Wanda, who was having a hard time minding her own business), but her heart rate would give her away if he checked her pulse while she was mentally freaking out. Not that he had any right to check her pulse. Because he didn't.

She glanced down at her hand and sighed. Okay, maybe she needed a doctor to look at her hands. If only she could get herself together.

Calm. Calm. She was calm.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Natasha took a few hesitant steps back as they entered the lab, going to stand as close to the back of the group as she could get without raising suspicions. She saw the back of his head before Sam's tall frame blocked him from her view.

She heard the swift intake of breath as Banner turned around to find his once empty lab filled with 7 Avengers.

"This is a surprise." Came Banner's voice, followed by what had to be Sam, snorting.

"Man, you have no idea."

"We need you to take a look at Wanda. Vision, set her down." The synthetic man stepped forward with the bundle in his arms, placing her as gently as possible onto the table, knocking off papers and pens as he did so. They fell gracelessly to the floor, the papers ruffling as they caught on air in their descent.

"Did you sedate her?"

"Not us, we helped her and Nat escape some sort of secret facility where they had been held." Steve gave Banner a quick recap of the events that led them to his lab.

Banner cleared this throat, looking around at the men standing before him. "I don't understand. Where is Natasha now?"

No longer interested in delaying the inevitable, Natasha stepped out from behind her friends.

She tried not to notice Banner's swift intake of breath as his eyes fell on her, or the way his body stiffened and his face paled. "Tasha?" Came the whispered reply that seemed to barely escape his lips.

She would have smiled, but she was so taken aback by him, so mesmerized by everything about him, that she remained stoic.

"Hey, Bruce. It's been a long time."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Wanda sat up slowly, blinking furiously as she did so. Her eyes were dry enough to cause her vision to blur. She groaned as she moved her legs over the side of the bed she was resting on, the palms of her hands running over her sore eyes.

She felt out with her senses, lightly touching upon a dull whirring noise that seemed to grow louder the more she focused. Moving her hands from her eyes, she blinked a few more times until she was sure she could see properly before looking up at Vision, who was sitting in a chair next to her bed.

He made quite the sight, reading a magazine about atoms while wearing his usual slacks and sweater vest. Wanda always thought it was peculiar, the way he dressed. Part of her always assumed he would adopt Tony's sense (or lack thereof ) of style, but Vision had his own personality. At least with some things.

She felt her heart contract painfully in his presence. She never thought she would see him again and when she was sure she would die, she had sworn to herself she would forgive him for the side he chose, for betraying her. Now though, with the painful beating of her heart and how handsome he looked to her, Wanda felt a spark of anger that grew rapidly in its bitterness.

"I thought perhaps you would have gone back to Stark by now." The words tasted bitter as they left her mouth, but she couldn't contain them. She was broken and raw, from the inside out. She thought physical pain was excruciating, but the pain in her heart was ten times as bad.

With a sigh, Vision dropped the magazine onto her nightstand. "I do not intend on going back to the compound. At least, not until it is safe for us both to return." For them both to go back? Did he really think it would be so easy? That all was forgiven?

She raised an eyebrow at that. "You think I will just go back? I am a wanted criminal, as you well know. I cannot go back, maybe not ever." In fact, she had no idea where she could go. After all, she was wanted by pretty much the entire world.

"Then we will go somewhere else. Anywhere else. I do not wish to part from you from this moment on." His words were almost harsh, conveying his compassion but all Wanda could do was smile sadly at him. It was a little too late for such decrees.

"I do not think that would be wise, Vision." Before he could protest she raised her hand before continuing. "Certainly not logical. You condemned me and yourself whenever you helped to have me locked away with our friends. You broke my trust. I trusted you and you threw it away as if it meant nothing."

"Wanda, I-"

"I think you should go. That seems best." She didn't want to hear anything he had to say. Not yet. Maybe when she woke up he would be there to comfort her, to discuss things with her. Maybe he would just let her yell at him.

Or Maybe he would be gone by the time she awoke and she really never would see him again.

And with that, Wanda turned away from him, laying back down on the bed and shutting her eyes until the whirring of Vision's mind disappeared from her own. With a sad sigh, Wanda Maximoff fell into a restless sleep.


	7. When a Spider Hulks Out

Natasha was sitting on the rooftop, her legs dangling over the edge as she stared out into the fog. Normally she wouldn't be so careless with her safety, as a sniper could pick her off for being so out in the open. However, the fog was dense enough to cloak anything less than 10 feet away and as there weren't any trees high enough or close enough to meet the requirements, Natasha believed she was safe.

Safe and hiding, like a big old baby. Almost as soon as Bruce had seen her, she had fled at the first opportunity. Maybe if it had been just the two of them or maybe if she hadn't been so tender hearted where the green guy was concerned, she could have played it cool. Instead, as soon as Bruce had focused on Wanda, Natasha had disappeared through the door and back the way she had come, silently hoping no one would find her and at the same time wishing Bruce would chase after her.

It was pathetic, really. She needed a man to chase after her? As if. As far as her mind was concerned, Banner had his chance and he blew it. He left her when she was ready to throw in the towel and go with him. She would have done anything to be with him. Now she didn't even know what to do with herself. Everything that had happened the past year had shaped her into someone she was becoming less familiar with.

Looking down at her bruised and bloody hands, Natasha sighed lowly to herself.

Whenever she pictured meeting Bruce again, she had always assumed that she would look how she always did. Fierce, strong and a badass. Now all she could see was someone broken, damaged by life. When had she become so weak? Or maybe she was just feeling sorry for herself, which would explain why she didn't hear him until he was sitting down next to her, his own legs dangling over the edge of the building.

"I thought I might find you up here." Bruce looked at anywhere but Natasha, his shoulders sagging as he exhaled deeply. "I understand that you don't want anything to do with me, and believe me, I get it. But you need to see a doctor and as I am your only option, I really think you should come with me downstairs and let me take a look at you."

She huffed out, putting her feet back onto the rooftop and wrapping her arms around her knees before resting the side of her head on her forearms and looking up at Bruce. She ignored the sting in her fingers as they cupped her legs, the skin stretching until she thought the wounds were going to break open again. Instead, she focused on the brown color of his eyes and how it always reminded her of dark chocolate. His brows were furrowed, which is how she knew he was confused by her silence.

"You're probably right. I think I broke a finger."

"You don't seem to be in much pain."

"I've had worse things broken than a finger, Bruce." Her spirit. Her heart. He could take his pick.

That was how she found herself sitting back in his clean lab. She didn't care about her own injuries, but he did, and that was what mattered to her. Luckily they were alone this time so it felt like there was no audience to watch and see if she could make the mighty Bruce Banner lose his cool. She doubted even she had that kind of affect on him. He was always calm and collected.

Trying not to wince as he moved each of her digits back and forth, she focused on controlling her breathing. Deep breath in, deep breath out. She was calm. She was calm.

His hand gently massaged one of the only areas on her palm that wasn't a deep shade of purple and she sucked in a breath at the contact, more than irritatingly aware that her pulse had shot up at his touch. Figures she hadn't seen him in so long and he was STILL affecting her in any way that mattered.

He looked up at her swift intake of breath, brow furrowed as his glasses slipped haphazardly down his nose. "Did that hurt?"

"No." Was the fast reply that made her want to smack her face into the table beside them. Instead she looked down at him as he was kneeling in front of her and gave him a reassuring smile. She didn't know why she did it. She didn't want him to feel reassured. And yet she did it anyway.

How pitiful was that?

"Well you definitely broke two fingers on your left hand, so I'm going to set the bones and wrap it in gauze. We will get the bandage changed in two weeks."

"I doubt I'll be here in two weeks."

"Where will you go?" He asked rather increduously, hands cupping her own in the only way that didn't seem to cause her pain.

"Does it really matter, Bruce?"

He took his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of course it matters, Tasha. Have you taken a look at yourself? You need to stay safe and right here is safe."

"Maybe it's safer for you. To hide away and disappear from the world altogether. To leave everything and everyone behind and stay cooped up in a lab for weeks and months on end, conducting your experiments or whatever you do in here. But I have people I care about, people who need me. And unlike you, I don't abandon them."

He took a step back from her as she jumped down from the table she was on, looking as if she had slapped him. She let anger and hurt propel her words forward, opening a floodgate she had kept wisely back for ao long.

"Do you see what happened to me? Do you know how I hurt my hands? Because I was slamming my fists over and over on a bullet proof glass that was made specifically to keep me locked up in that hell hole. Do you know why I look so terrible? Because every time I was given food or water it was drugged to the point where eating more than a few bites each day would render me more useless to Wanda than I already was. She was scared and frightened and I was the only thing she had, because like me, she was also abandoned by someone she thought cared for her."

Natasha was shouting now, her hands throbbing painfully with the force of her rage as she got in his face to yell at him. "Do you want to know what I was thinking? The entire time I was in there? 'Bruce could get out of here without batting an eyelash.' 'Bruce could have saved us.' 'Bruce could have made sure we were never even taken captive.' You weren't there though. You left to save yourself. You were selfish and you left me behind. You gave me up without a second thought and now you think I would just stay here with you? Let you take care of me and bandage my wounds?"

"Tasha, you aren't being fair. If you would just give me a chance to explain." He reached out to grip her shoulders, but she shoved him away, stepping around the table to leave the room.

Ignoring the lone tear that fell down her cheek, Natasha wiped it away violently and left the room without finishing her examination. There wasn't any point. The most damaged part of her was inside and she didn't think there was any treatment for that.

Wanda sat up in bed, knowing as soon as she had opened her eyes that Vision had left. He had really left her.

Sighing, Wanda stood up and stretched slowly before leaving her room in search of food. Her stomach rumbled in approval of her search, only making her more anxious to eat. To do something to fill whatever emptiness she could.

She regretted the way she had spoken to Vision. Hadn't she fought against him as well? She had chosen a side, just like he had. They had both stood up for what they believed in and she had even leveled him through an entire building to go fight for her cause and he had not been angry with her.

Granted he did put her in jail, which was why she had been angry. But he hadn't known how she would be treated. And hadn't Steve saved her and the others after only a few weeks of captivity?

Hadn't it been Vision who had rushed to her side to protect her as soon as he realized she was in danger? Hadn't he brought reinforcements to guarantee her and Nat would be set free?

He had. What had she done? She had tossed his kindness back in his face and demanded he leave when all she had really wanted was for him to hold her, to shield her from anything.

'I am sorry for the things I said. Come back?'

She sent the words out, hoping she held enough power to let the words reach him.

Generally she wasn't a telepath. She could manipulate ones mind, sure, but it was more difficult to project her words at someone unless she had become familiar with that mind. Speaking with Natasha was easy because they had been connected for months, but Wanda wasn't sure if her thoughts would be projected out to someone she hadn't felt connected with in the longest time.

Deciding to focus on other things, Wanda eventually found the kitchen, which was luckily devoid of others. She opened the refrigerator, shuffling through the contents until she found enough to make a sandwich.

Once it was made and eaten, she made another one, finding herself ravenous.

After her meal was finished, Wanda left the kitchen and wandered through a few levels of the compound, wanting more than anything to fly around in the fog and just forget herself as she disappeared through its thickness.

Instead she sought out with her senses, hoping to find one of her friends and reconnect with their group. She didn't want anyone to worry about her, especially Nat if it was avoidable.

It was then, during her probing, that her mind connected with anothers, sensing the pain and the turmoil as if it were her own. It led her away from where she had been heading, down a flight of stairs and down a long, dimly lit corridor.

She reached a closed door and raised her hand hesitantly, almost afraid to knock.


	8. Recollections

Bruce Banner lingered in his empty lab after Natasha stormed out. He stared blankly in the direction she had fled. How often had he stared out in thought, lost in everything Natasha had ever offered him? Wondered what might have been had he stayed?

Bruce had regretted his decision to leave her behind. He had felt betrayed when she had brought forth the Hulk during the destruction of Sokovia, only because he knew the other guy wasn't to be trusted, especially around civilians. After the incident in Wakanda he should have left. Instead he had waited, hoping to speak with Tasha one last time before he departed.

Then she was captured and the only thing he could focus on was saving her from Ultron. As a side effect of the gamma radiation, he knew he couldn't die. But Natasha was a human and she was fragile. And Bruce was in love with her. He couldn't have left her with a monster, even if she was trading one monster for another.

So he had hunted her down, broken her free of her jail cell and set about fleeing with her to start a life together.

Instead, she had seen into his fear. She had manipulated him (which he could now admit had been for the benefit of others) and unleashed the Hulk when he was finally coming to terms with his love for her. When he could finally see a road in front of him that wasn't lonely, but full of hope. It was as if a rug had been yanked out from under his feet and he had fled like a coward with his feelings hurt.

He hadn't even thought about his actions until he was swimming from the wreckage of the jet a few weeks later, hoping that some might think he had perished with the sinking jet.

He had left her. Well and truly left her.

But instead of focusing on how that would have only hurt her, Bruce had focused on how his actions had been for the benefit of her. How she could only do better without him, live easier without him.

Now... Seeing her, hearing her as she destroyed his heart with her words, how could he have ever been so selfish? Bruce hadn't been thinking of her or how the other guy might have harmed her, he had only thought about himself and how devastated he would be if there was another outbreak. If she had caused another transformation within him that could have done even worse damage than the Wakanda incident.

All this time, well close to two years since he had actually seen Natasha, he thought he had acted out of love for her when he had disappeared. He knew he had acted in the wrong.

He never should have left her and his decision had only caused her pain.

Bruce Banner turned and swiped a few vials, bunsen burners and a slew of paperwork from his work station, yelling out his anger as he did so. Then he was slamming his fists into the metal table, hitting it harder and harder as he yelled out his anguish at how naive he had been. How foolish he had been. He flung himself into his swings until his hands were bloody and beaten, reminding him of Natasha's hands.

She hadn't even wanted to be near him, to see him. She was right in every way that counted. Bruce should have been there for her, he should have protected her.

As he destroyed more of his lab, he kept focusing on the devastation he felt in his soul, knowing deep down why the color of his skin never turned any other shade than red. As the other guy he could forget what he had done to her, at least momentarily. But he didn't want to think about anything other than how his actions could have killed her... And the other guy didn't want him to forget either.

He didn't deserve to.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Natasha?" Wanda knocked on the door again. She wasn't trying to be intrusive, she really wasn't. If anything, she wanted to turn back down the corridor and flee to her room, to focus on her own inner turmoil.

She might have actually left after another few minutes of waiting on Natasha to answer, but it was impossible to not feel the pain that was practically radiating through the door. Natasha was in pain, she was hurting. Maybe Natasha wanted to be alone and maybe Wanda should have left her to it, but she couldn't.

They had been through too much together for Wanda to leave her now.

Besides, Wanda hadn't felt so alone since Pietro had died...Perhaps she could have used some comfort as well.

Without waiting any longer, Wanda turned the door knob in her hand, opening the door slowly and calling out to give her friend another warning to her presence.

She stepped through the dark room, using a small lamp to help guide her to the prone figure laying on top of the bed, curled into a ball in the corner. Wanda moved toward the bed and sat down next to her friend before touching her shoulder gently.

Nat stirred slightly before relaxing back into the bed. Not wasting another moment, Wanda crawled next to her, wrapping her body around the other woman and pulling her close.

"Seeing him after so long..." Came the whisper. "I didn't think it would hurt this much." Natasha sniffed into the pillow, her words slightly muffled by the tears in her voice as she spoke. Wanda hugged her tighter as she breathed out a strangled breath before her body shook slightly.

"It will be okay. I will never leave you. I promise." And with that, the two women who were more like sisters than teammates fell into a heavy sleep, both exhausted from their previous ordeals.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Wanda awoke with a start, her back spasming painfully until she was bent awkwardly on the bed, her feet and shoulders on the mattress while the rest of her body contorted into a bow shape. She felt stretched, as if her power was close to splitting her entire body in half.

With a cry, Wanda felt her powers encasing her. With each pulse of power that surged from her body, she felt her muscles lock and the veins in her body throb.

"Oh God, Wanda!" Natasha reached over to her, shouting in pain when her hand connected with the red mist that was escaping the younger woman's body. "Wanda, don't panic. Don't panic! I'm going to get Bruce, okay?"

With that, Natasha threw herself from the bed and out of the room, sprinting down to the lab where she had last seen Bruce and praying to whatever deity existed that he would be there.

Instead, she was confronted with an trashed laboratory but no Banner.

"Bruce! Bruce!" Natasha shouted at the top of her lungs, racing back towards her room and slamming on closed doors as she passed by, hoping he was in one of them.

One of the doors she had banged on opened quickly, followed by a somewhat intoxicated Bruce Banner. His hands were bandaged and he looked like hell, but she didn't have time to think about such things. She grabbed his hand in hers, ignoring the sting in her hand and her heart before yanking him with her back to her room.

"Wanda is in pain. I don't know what's happening to her. Oh God, Bruce, you have to help her." The doctor followed at an even matched pace, seeming to sober up almost immediately. "I woke up next to her and she's just projecting her power out, over and over again. It keeps getting stronger but I have no idea why it's happening. I didn't think they had experimented on her while we were there. I thought she had been okay." Natasha's face was white as a sheet when they entered the room, which was lit up by the red mist that was growing around the bed and Wanda, who was whimpering in agony.

"The mist. It hurt me when I touched it. I don't know how we can get to her."

"Wanda," Bruce called out to the young witch. "Wanda I need you to focus on my voice, alright?" He looked back at Natasha when he received no word from the young woman. "Her entire power is started with her mind. Cognitive recalibration might work to offset the symptoms that have started within her. I can't be sure though."

"You mean knock her out? I can't get that close to her without burning myself." She showed him the burn on her hand, but took a deep breath when Wanda cried out again, more than ready to kill herself to protect a loved one.

"I got this." Bruce locked eyes with Natasha when she would have argued with him. They seemed to stare into each other for far more than the two seconds they actually had. She saw all of his regret. He saw all of her sorrow. "I would walk through more than fire for you. I've got this."

And with that, Bruce Banner stepped forward to the bed, ignoring the way his skin began to lift off of his body in small pieces as another pulse went through the little witch and out to the area surrounding her.

"This is going to hurt, kid."

"Do it," Wanda cried out just before another wave pierced the air. With a yell, Bruce Banner lifted his fist and struck her on the temple. Wanda's body fell back onto the bed and Bruce fell forward to the ground before her, panting with exertion.

Natasha was beside him in an instant before looking over an unconscious Wanda. When she was assured the girl was safe for the time being, she turned her attention back to Bruce. "Are you alright? You aren't going to turn green, are you?" Bruce shook his head rapidly before bending away from her and dry heaving onto the floor, some of the vodka from the night before coming up to land next to his hands. "Here." She handed him a shirt to wipe his mouth and hands on. When Bruce was ready to turn and face the woman in front of him, he was slightly relieved to find her looking at Wanda. "What do we do now?"

"I think we need to get Vision. As far as I'm aware, he's the only other person that can look into someone else's mind. If hers has been altered by some sort of experiment or medication, with the right tweaking, he should be able to correct whatever is wrong with her." Natasha nodded her head in agreement, her bruised hand resting on his knee for what seemed like an eternity but which was removed too soon, standing with purpose.

"I need to find Steve. Maybe he knows where Vision is."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Vision stared absentmindedly at his beloved chessboard, the pieces where he and Wanda had left them nearly a year ago when they had last played. When she had last lived here.

He didn't bother scanning the area for other inhabitants; he was always alone so the protocol had become a bit redundant.

Logically, he knew why Wanda had sent him away. She was a human being with feelings and hers had been hurt. She had reacted rashly and out of character with her demands.

It had been easy enough to see into her mind. He knew what she had really wanted, which was for him to stay with her as she was afraid of being alone as she had been before, even if Ms. Romanoff had been with her.

Instead of doing as he knew she truly wanted, Vision had listened to Wanda's irrational side and left the premises at once, per her request. It was odd, truly. The logical side of him, what should have been the only side of him, knew she had not meant the words she had spoken. And yet... They had left a conflicted feeling within him, something he was accustomed to feeling.

He had felt his temperature alter, which was peculiar as he was able to control it at will. Instead he had felt hot and cold at once by her words, as angry as they had been at him. The artificial heart in his body had stopped for almost a full minute and his breathing had also stalled out, as if he might have ceased to exist within another moment.

So he had gone to the only place he had thought of. Home.

Or was it a home? It was the only place he had ever felt anything, really.

Did robots even feel? For he was not human, but he was so much more than a typical robot. His body might have been artificially created, however, it was real.

All of this thinking reminded him of when he had first pondered these thoughts in front of Wanda, who could so easily read him.

_"You are not a robot, Viz. Surely you must know that." Vision had turned to the beautiful creature in front of him, studying her features until she blushed and turned away from him as if embarrassed to reveal she had been listening in to his thoughts. It was interesting she felt that way, as he had often invited her to see what he was thinking. With the mind stone, it wasn't as if her peeking into his mind was ever a mystery._

_He could feel her essence when she looked within him almost as surely as he could reach out and touch a strand of her silky auburn hair._

_"I am not sure what I am." He looked back down at the chessboard, only partially thinking of the game, but more focused on how Wanda always smelled like lilac and lavender with a hint of coconut. Perhaps if he could figure out where the scents originated, Wanda might be less enticing to him._

_Or perhaps if he could simply not think about Wanda Maximoff at all he would be able to think logically around her._

_What did scent matter to a robot anyway?_

_He was beginning to find that even as a robot, a lot of things mattered to him. Most of them centered around a particular individual, but he was as conflicted about that as anything else._

_He wasn't real. He shouldn't feel a certain way about someone. He wasn't even sure he was capable of such feelings. And yet... Vision had them. They were certainly there, waiting to pester him with each new day he faced. They were always stronger than the previous day and threatened to way him down until he was quite certain he would sink into the floor and never be able to rise again._

_"I am sure that you are more man than machine. Shall I show you?"_

_"If you believe it will help." Wanda smiled at his answer before she moved across the couch and sat in front of him, merely gazing into his eyes. Her hand reached up. Slowly, her fingers began to trace the markings on his face, a gentle sweep of motion that had him closing his eyes to simply focus on the feel of her skin on his. She traced the lines from the top of his head to his cheeks before eventually tracing the outline of his lips with her finger._

_Vision had sucked in a breath at the contact, his lips feeling sensitive to her touch in a way he had never envisioned before. After that her hand wandered down his lips to his jaw, tracing the bone until she reached his neck, her fingers sending tingles and shocks throughout his entire body._

_The sensation was captivating and what he could only describe as sensual, although he had no direct concept of the word._

_"How do you feel now?" Her words had come out husky. When he opened his eyes to look down at the woman still roaming her hands over his body, he noticed she was biting on her bottom lip, as if trying hard to focus._

_"Alive," Vision whispered down at her._

_"Exactly. You are alive, which is more than a machine could ever be. I wish you could see yourself as I do. Maybe then you would find peace." ___

__Vision picked up the chessboard, tucking it and the pieces into its wooden box before going into Wanda's abandoned room and staring at the contents. He picked up a few of her personal belonging that he knew she might have missed in her absence and placed them within a duffle bag she had kept in the closet._ _

__When that was arranged, Vision faded out through the walls of the compound and into the night sky, intent on making his way back to Wanda Maximoff, no matter how angry she was with him._ _


End file.
